Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 21 July 2016 to Question 42766, whether he has accepted the recommendation of the independent Mental Health Taskforce in its report published in February 2016 to bring together an expert group to examine the needs of children who are particularly vulnerable to developing mental health problems, including those with long-term conditions.

Nicola Blackwood

The Government has accepted the recommendations set out in the Mental Health Taskforce report including the recommendation that: “The Departments of Education and Health should establish an expert group to examine the needs of children who are particularly vulnerable to developing mental health problems and how their needs should best be met, including through the provision of personalised budgets.” The focus of the group that has been set up, which met for the first time in July, is on looked after and adopted children and care leavers, all of whom are considered particularly vulnerable to mental health problems.

There are currently no plans to set up any other group to look into the needs of children who are vulnerable.